Butterscotch is a type of confectionery made by boiling sugar syrup, butter, cream, and vanilla. The ingredients for butterscotch are similar to toffee; the major difference is that the sugar is boiled to the soft crack stage for butterscotch and the hard crack stage for toffee. Butterscotch sauce is often made into a syrup, which is used as a topping for ice cream (particularly sundaes).